Footware with decorative tongue

ABSTRACT

The article of footwear with decorative tongue is a shoe or the like having a sole and an upper attached thereto. The upper includes a tongue. A plurality of gemstones is attached to the tongue. Any desired type of gemstone(s) may be used, including variations in size, shape, color and chemical composition. Alternatively, a conventional tongue and a decorative attachment may be provided. The decorative attachment has opposed first and second faces, and a plurality of gemstones attached to the first face. The second face is releasably attached to an exterior face of the tongue by a suitable releasable fastener, such as mating hook and loop fasteners.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/272,127, filed Aug. 20, 2009.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to shoes, moccasins, and similar footwear,and particularly to an article of footwear with decorative tongue havinggemstones covering an exposed surface of the tongue.

2. Description of the Related Art

Many people believe that crystals and gemstones hold certain beneficialproperties. Crystal healing is an alternative medicine technique thatemploys gemstones and crystals as healing tools. In use, thepractitioner typically places crystals on different parts of the body,often corresponding to the “chakras”, or places crystals around the bodyin an attempt to construct an energy grid, which is believed to surroundthe client with healing energy. The healing is supposed to removeblockages in the aura or the body's electromagnetic field.

When the stones are placed in the area of the chakras, the color of thestones may correspond to the color which is associated with thecorresponding chakra. Going from the tail bone to the top of the head,the colors are typically defined as red, orange, yellow, green, blue,indigo, violet. Different stones are believed to have different healingvibrations, so a treatment based on the type of stone may be usedinstead. Stones may also be used at the feet in an attempt at groundingthe individual, or may held in the hands.

Believers in crystal healing may carry crystals around with them,believing that they impart healing powers to them wherever they go, orthat they have positive vibrations that attract positive events andinteractions with others. Although there is no peer-reviewed scientificevidence that crystal healing has any actual physiological effect,believers in crystal healing may still receive a placebo effect, whichis a measurable psychological effect.

Reflexology, or “zone therapy” is another alternative medicine methodinvolving the practice of massaging, squeezing, or pushing on parts ofthe feet, or sometimes the hands and ears, with the goal of encouraginga beneficial effect on other parts of the body, or to improve generalhealth. There is no general consensus among reflexologists on howreflexology is supposed to work, though a unifying theme is the ideathat areas on the foot correspond to areas of the body, and that bymanipulating these one can improve health through one's “qi”. As withcrystal healing, there is no scientific evidence for the existence ofLife energy (qi), “crystalline structures” within the body, or“pathways” for “energy flow” in the body, but believers may experience aplacebo effect, which is a measurable psychological effect, withpractical and measurable results, such as pain relief and moodalteration.

Reflexology and crystal, or gemstone, healing are separate fields inalternative medicine and one typically needs to visit multiplepractitioners in order to gain benefits from both. Further, bothreflexology treatment and crystal healing are time consuming and requirespecialized treatments by trained practitioners. It would be desirableto combine the effects of both crystal healing with the effects ofreflexology in a manner that is easy to apply for the typical user.Thus, footwear with a decorative tongue solving the aforementionedproblems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to shoes, moccasins, and similar footwear,and particularly to an article of footwear with decorative tongue havinggemstones covering an exposed surface of the tongue. It should beunderstood that the article of footwear may be any type of footwear,such as a shoe or the like having a sole and an upper attached thereto.Examples of such footwear include in-line skates, roller skates, iceskates, ski boots, boots, shoes, sneakers, etc. The upper of sucharticles of footwear includes a tongue having a decorative surface. Aplurality of gemstones, crystals, artificial gemstones or an artificialappliqué is secured to an exposed surface of the tongue. It should beunderstood that any desired types of gemstones or other ornamentationmay be used, including variations in size, shape, color and chemicalcomposition. Further, the term “gemstones” is used herein to indicateeither natural or artificial stones.

Alternatively, a conventional tongue and a separate decorativeattachment may be provided. The decorative attachment has opposed firstand second faces. A plurality of gemstones are attached to the firstface of the decorative attachment. The second face is releasablyattached to an exterior face of the tongue by a suitable releasablefastener, such as mating hook and loop fasteners.

These and other features of the present invention will become readilyapparent upon further review of the following specification anddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of footwear withdecorative tongue according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the footwear of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a tongue of an article of footwear withdecorative tongue according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded side view of a decorative tongue for analternative embodiment of footwear with decorative tongue according tothe present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an alternative tongue of the article offootwear with decorative tongue according to the present invention.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistentlythroughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, exemplary footwear with decorative tonguesis shown in the form of a pair of shoes 10. It should be understood thatthe type and style of shoe shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is exemplary, and thatthe footwear may comprise any type or style of shoe having a tongue 14.Examples of such footwear include in-line skates, roller skates, iceskates, ski boots, boots, shoes, sneakers, etc. Similarly, theparticular tongue 14 shown in the drawings is exemplary only, and a shoetongue having any desired dimensions, configuration, or composition maybe used in lieu thereof, provided that at least a portion of the tongue14 is exposed to view when the footwear is worn.

The article of footwear 10 is a shoe, moccasin, or the like having asole 12 and an upper 16 attached thereto (the front part of the “upper”of a shoe, including the tongue, is also sometimes referred to as a“vamp”). In the shoe 10 shown in the drawings, the upper 16 includes atongue 14 having a plurality of gemstones 20 attached to an exposedsurface thereof. As best shown in FIG. 1, at least a portion of tongue14 may be visible through shoelaces 18, and the visible portion oftongue 14, located beneath shoelaces 18, is preferably also covered withgemstones 20. It should be understood that a single type of gemstone maybe displayed, or a plurality of types of gemstones may be used.

The gemstones 20 may be arranged in bands or in any desired pattern.Each type of gemstone may have a distinct color. The differently coloredgemstones 20 may be banded to produce a distinctive visual effect, ifdesired. Alternatively, the gemstones 20 may be evenly distributed overthe upper surface of base layer 22 (as best shown in FIG. 3), or may bearrayed in any desired pattern, depending upon the design effectdesired, including either or both the visual effect and the desiredcrystal healing benefits. Although gemstones are utilized in thepreferred embodiment, it should be understood that any suitable type ofdecorative articles may be applied to the tongue. Such decorativearticles may include natural gemstones, crystals, artificial gemstonesor an artificial appliqué, for example. In FIG. 5, a plurality ofgemstones 20 are used, with the plurality 20 including two differingtypes of gemstones 21, 23. Gemstones 21 are visually distinct fromgemstones 23, thus allowing for an additional visual effect. It shouldbe understood that the “arrow” shown in FIG. 5 is shown for exemplarypurposes only, and that any desired visual effect may be created.

Any desired type of gemstone(s) may be used, including variations insize, shape, color, and chemical composition. Further, the term“gemstone(s)” is used herein to indicate either natural or artificialstones. For example, practitioners of crystal healing believe that greenaventurine gemstones induce feelings of vitality and confidence in theuser. Amethyst, a type of purple quartz, is believed to induce a feelingof calm, and to raise hope and lift the general spirits of the user.Citrine is believed provide mental clarity and foster creativity,whereas amethyst is believed to provide protection and purification.Chalcedony is believed to provide the wearer with calm and balance, andcopper is believed to improve circulation and overall energy. Tiger'seye, as another example, is believed to provide balance betweenextremes, and Swarovski crystal is believed to provide healingproperties.

As noted above, a single type of gemstone may be used to impart onequality (or to produce one visual effect), or a plurality of types maybe used to impart multiple qualities (or produce varied visual effects).In the alternative embodiment of FIG. 4, a conventional tongue 30 and adecorative attachment 36 are provided for an article of footwear. Thedecorative attachment 36 is a sheet of material having opposed first andsecond faces. The plurality of gemstones 38 is attached to the first orupper face of the decorative attachment 36. The second or lower face isreleasably attached to an exterior face of the tongue 30 by a suitablereleasable fastener, such as mating hook and loop fasteners. It shouldbe understood that any suitable type of releasable fastener may be used.Releasable attachment 36 is preferably sized and shaped to match tongue30 and may be formed from materials similar to tongue 30.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 1-3 and FIG. 4, it should be understood thatgemstones 20 may be fixed to tongue 14 or decorative attachment 36 byany suitable means of attachment, such as adhesive, stitching, hook andloop fasteners or the like. Additionally, in the preferred embodiment,gemstones are used as the ornamentation for the tongue of the footwear.As noted above, it should be understood that any suitable type ofornamentation may be utilized. Decorative articles applied to the tonguemay include gemstones, crystals, artificial gemstones or an artificialappliqué.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to theembodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodimentswithin the scope of the following claims.

1. An article of footwear, comprising: a sole; an upper attached to the sole to form footwear, the upper having a tongue; and at least one decorative article attached to at least a portion of the tongue.
 2. The article of footwear as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one decorative article is selected from the group consisting of: natural gemstones, artificial gemstones, crystals, and decorative appliqués.
 3. The article of footwear as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one decorative article comprises a plurality of decorative articles, the plurality of decorative articles being arrayed on the tongue.
 4. The article of footwear as recited in claim 3, wherein the tongue has an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion thereof being adapted for positioning beneath a pair of shoelaces, said plurality of decorative articles at least partially covering the upper portion of the tongue.
 5. The article of footwear as recited in claim 4, wherein said plurality of decorative articles at least partially covers the lower portion of the tongue.
 6. An article of footwear, comprising: a sole; an upper attached to the sole to form footwear, the upper having a tongue; a decorative attachment; at least one decorative article attached to the decorative attachment; and a fastener attaching the decorative attachment to the tongue.
 7. The article of footwear as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least one decorative article is selected from the group consisting of: natural gemstones, artificial gemstones, crystals, and decorative appliqués.
 8. The article of footwear as recited in claim 6, wherein the fastener is a releasable fastener.
 9. The article of footwear as recited in claim 8, wherein the releasable fastener comprises mating hook and loop fasteners.
 10. The article of footwear as recited in claim 6, wherein said at least one decorative article comprises a plurality of decorative articles, the plurality of decorative articles being arrayed on the decorative attachment.
 11. A decorative tongue for an article of footwear, comprising: a tongue adapted for attachment to an upper of an article of footwear, the tongue having an outer surface; and at least one decorative article attached to at least a portion of the outer surface of the tongue.
 12. The decorative tongue for an article of footwear as recited in claim 11, wherein the at least one decorative article is selected from the group consisting of: natural gemstones, artificial gemstones, crystals, and decorative appliqués.
 13. The decorative tongue as recited in claim 11, wherein said at least one decorative article comprises a plurality of decorative articles, the plurality of decorative articles being arrayed on the outer surface of the tongue.
 14. The decorative tongue as recited in claim 13, wherein the tongue has an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion being adapted for positioning beneath a pair of shoelaces of the article of footwear, said plurality of decorative articles at least partially covering the upper portion of the tongue.
 15. The decorative tongue as recited in claim 14, wherein said plurality of decorative articles at least partially cover the lower portion of the tongue. 